Justice Department to Widen Health-Care Fraud Investigation

[Scurrilous]

Source: Washington Post

<snip>

"The Obama administration today announced it would expand Justice Department health-care strike forces to Detroit and Houston, part of a broader commitment to root out fraud in Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appeared at Justice Department headquarters in Washington to announce the move, which they portrayed as an effort to rein in fraud, waste and abuse in the taxpayer-funded programs. Medicare and Medicaid spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on health care for the elderly, disabled and poor.

Health-care fraud is among the top enforcement priorities of the new team at the Justice Department, which is working closely with the inspector general at HHS and the FBI to collect and analyze computerized information about fraudulent claims.

As part of the effort, authorities this afternoon launched a new task force, the Health Care Enforcement Action Team, to be led by senior officials at Justice and HHS.

"With this announcement, we raise the stakes on health-care fraud," Holder said."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/AR2009052001782.html?hpid=topnew

[mainer]

1. How about ending the biggest fraud -- The health insurance companies?

Who don't do a damn thing for us except skim off the money.

[snowdays]

2. Another task force and a photo op is the best we get.

[MisterK]

5. ditto nt

[quidam56]

3. Health Care in America wreaks of fraud.

http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 In East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, profit care comes ahead of patient care.

[katandmoon]

4. This announcement reminds me of the old library police skit on SNL

Investigating health-care fraud may be important.

But I put it far far FAR behind investigating the Bush administration for the massive and incalculable fraud IT committed against the U.S.A.

It's like sending out police to round up overdue library books, when somebody is being murdered.

[dflprincess]

6. True. But investigating fraud in Medicare and Medicaid

gives the corportists yet another argument against having a public option. They can wail and gnash their teeth and warn us of how all the evil providers are waiting to cheat the tax payer.

When a for profit private insurer denies a claim for a service that is suppose to be covered, that isn't fraud it's "looking out for the share holders". They are, however, most vigorous in looking for providers who have lied to them, not in order to make more money, but to try and get a patient needed care.

Several years ago there was survery of doctors - something like 75% admitted to lying to insurance companies. David Letterman's take on it was "75% admit to lying, 20% are lying about lying, and the 5% work for insurance companies."